How To: Prepare Your Device For iOS 5

With Apple set to release iOS 5 sometime today, many of you might be wondering what you need to do in order to prepare for the update. We’ve prepared a few tips to help you out.

Backup & Sync Your Device

The first step you should take to prepare for any iOS upgrade is to completely sync and back up your device using iTunes. First, sync your device by selecting it from the left-hand column in iTunes and clicking the “Sync Now” button.

Next, you should back up your device, just in case it didn’t back up during the sync. Backing up your iDevice is as simple as plugging it into your computer, launching iTunes, right-clicking (or option-clicking) your device from the left-hand column, and clicking “Back Up”

Take Note Of App-Specific Passwords

If you decide to completely restore your device to factory settings (which is recommended for big updates like iOS 5), it’s important that you make a note of any important app passwords or information that you’ll need to set your device up on a fresh install of iOS.

Now that you’re ready, simply wait it out and enjoy! iOS 5 will be here before you know it.

Save Your Settings

If you are fond of the way you had your device set up before iOS 5 was released, it might be a good idea to go into Setting on your device and write down anything important you might not otherwise remember. One good way to do this is to take a screenshot by pressing both the power and home button at the same time, and then importing that screenshot into iPhoto to save it on your Mac.

Now that your device is all ready to go, click here for instructions on how to install the update!

For more helpful tips, check out our full collection of tutorials by visiting our How-To category!

J. Glenn Künzler

Glenn is Managing Editor at MacTrast, and has been using a Mac since he bought his first MacBook Pro in 2006. He lives in a small town in Utah, enjoys bacon more than you can possibly imagine, and is severely addicted to pie.